"[Georgia Tech] fights, they go to the end," said senior guard Jeanne Kenney. "It's definitely not going to be an easy road, and there is no looking ahead."

LSU hosts the first two rounds and the tournament. A win Sunday would mean a second-round contest at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday against the winner between No. 2 West Virginia and No. 15 Albany. Those teams play a first-round game at 2 p.m. Sunday, also at the PMAC.

The Lady Tigers were projected as a No. 8 seed after losing six straight to close the regular season and picking up only one win at the SEC tournament. A second-round showdown with a No. 1 seed appeared imminent, but LSU's No. 1 strength of schedule may have been the bump to lift it to a No. 7 seed.

"Having for the most part of the season the toughest schedule in the country, that says a lot about this team," said LSU coach Nikki Caldwell. "We hit a tough patch down the stretch, and obviously the SEC is a very difficult conference to play in."

The SEC flexed its muscles on Selection Monday when eight of its 14 members received a bid to the tournament. Tennessee and South Carolina both earned No. 1 seeds, and the Lady Volunteers are the top seed in the Lady Tigers' regional.

LSU split the regular-season series with Tennessee before the Lady Volunteers won the decisive rubber match in the SEC tournament quarterfinals.

When the Lady Tigers were 17-4 and ranked No. 14 at the end of January, a No. 7 seed seemed like a worst-case scenario. But given its rocky finish in the final month of the season, LSU was ecstatic about its postseason placement.

"We were expecting an eight, nine or 10 seed," Kenney said. "We were putting all the possible scenarios together, and I think we came out with a very good bracket. It's just a relief - we can breathe now, we can really focus on our scouting."